Random musings by people who think about educational psychology and the practice of instructional design

March 28, 2013

Gender Differences in Learning Preferences?

by Rachel Flurie, PGY1 Pharmacotherapy Resident,
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

Extensive research has
documented that people learn in different ways and there are a variety of
surveys and analytical schema to categorize these different learning
preferences. This allows a person to understand how they learn best and also
allows the teacher/learner to select teaching/learning methods that compliment
these preferences. For example, I took the VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write,
Kinesthetic) survey and found out that I am mostly a Read/Write learner.1
Now that I have insight as to how I learn best, I can optimize my learning by
picking materials that capitalize on my strengths. It’s always fun to take these
questionnaires because they give you insights that you might not have been able
to figure out on your own. In these learning descriptors, the emphasis is on
the individual, irrespective of any other attributes or classifications we may have.
But I began to wonder if fundamental genetic characteristics might influence
our learning style. For example, do
males and females have learning preferences that are inherent to their gender?

In a broad sense,
several stereotypes already exist about males and females when it comes to
learning. Men gravitate towards the
sciences while women are attracted to the arts. Men learn better by doing and women learning
better by pondering. These stereotypes were perhaps relevant back when there
was a distinctive division between males and females in terms of gender roles. But do these stereotypes still apply today?
Or are learning styles truly based on individual preferences?

In my search for answers,
I found several reviews and studies that focused on gender differences in
learning preferences.2,3 One
review and meta-analysis explained the differences it found by relating them to
Curry’s onion model.2 In this
model there are three layers that explain learning preferences. Learning preferences that fall in the inner most
layer are considered fixed; those that fall in the middle layer are pretty
stable but they are still subject to change; and those preferences that fall in
the outer layer can be easily modified. The
meta-analysis found only one study out of 19 that showed a difference between
men and women in an “inner layer” learning preference – certainly not enough to
warrant a change in educational methods. In the middle layer of the onion, a few studies
that assessed learning preferences using Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory showed
the following2:

Women prefer concrete experiences while
men prefer abstract concepts

Women are more socially oriented
than men

Men are more grade-oriented and more
competitive than women

In thinking back to
all of my experiences, I would generally nod in agreement with these conclusions.
The fact that they fall into the middle layer of the onion is a key point
because these preferences might be linked to gender, but they’re certainly
not permanent. As an educator, I would be mindful about these preferences when
teaching. In circumstances where the learners are predominantly one gender, altering
your teaching style based on these preferences might be helpful. For example,
you might plan for more group discussions over individual assignments in an
all-female classroom. But in mixed gender classrooms, other issues should
influence your teaching more (e.g. the material being taught, the setting, the
prerequisite knowledge of the learners).

Authors in another
review noted that their literature search revealed a lot of variability in
learning preference based on gender (and in some cases they were even
contradictory!). For example, two studies used the same VARK survey to explore
gender-associated learning differences.4,5 One study, done in undergraduate
physiology students, found that the males preferred multimodal instruction
whereas the females were more likely to have single-mode preferences. The other
study, done in first year medical students, found that the females tended to be
more multimodal in learning style compared to their male counterparts. Perhaps
the preferred learning style is also based on the material being taught?
Personally, I think I have different learning preferences when I’m learning to
cook a meal versus learning how to treat a patient’s hypertension. In the end, I’ve
concluded, apart from a few generalizations that have been made, learning
preferences are not significantly influenced by gender.

Suffice it to say, as
a current learner and educator, I will not be relying on stereotypes when it
comes to men versus women in education. Instead, I will consider learning
preferences on an individual basis and will select the most appropriate methods
based on the material being taught. While some preferences in life might be
heavily influenced by gender, learning style is not one of them.

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